Philanthropic Program Reaches New Heights of
Impact for Small Food & Beverage Businesses Nationwide
BOSTON, Aug. 17,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As Brewing the American
Dream celebrates 15 years supporting small food and beverage
businesses across the U.S., Samuel Adams today announces that its
priority philanthropy program has surpassed $100 million of funding. This milestone
commemorates the program's dedication to uplifting devoted
craftspeople everywhere in partnership with nonprofit lenders like
Accion Opportunity Fund.
Established in 2008, Brewing the American Dream was born out of
the same passion that led Sam Adams
founder and brewer, Jim Koch, to
start the craft beer revolution. Koch recognized that despite being
the heartbeat of our country, food and beverage entrepreneurs are
often underrepresented and underfunded. He set out to support them
with valuable resources and much-needed access to capital. 15 years
later, Brewing the American Dream celebrates $100 million in loan funding to more than 4,200
small business owners, with coaching and mentorship provided to
14,000 entrepreneurs who have created or retained more than 11,000
local jobs nationwide. Moreover, identifying the unique barriers
they face, Brewing the American Dream has proudly championed a
network of businesses that are 76% BIPOC-owned and 63%
female-owned.
"There could not be a better way to celebrate our
15th year than with this incredible milestone. How time
flies when you are doing what you love and get to help others do
the same," said Jennifer Glanville
Love, Director of Partnerships & Collaborations at
Boston Beer Company. "We are immensely grateful to have supported
so many deeply impassioned entrepreneurs who fearlessly chase their
dreams each day--and that's really what $100
million represents for us, more dreams realized."
Amidst the current economic landscape, access to affordable
capital is critical for aspiring food & beverage entrepreneurs.
Yet, the program's impact stretches well beyond funding. It boasts
a dynamic breadth of initiatives that offer business advice and
discipline-specific education to equip participants with the
knowledge and skills to run a healthy, growing enterprise.
Brewing the American Dream's unique program roster retains
year-round efforts like Speed Coaching and Pitch Room Competitions,
the latter of which has awarded a total of $500,000 to finalists in various markets across
the country. Another program staple, the Brewing & Business
Experienceship, is now in its 12th year of selecting one
lucky craft brewer to work side-by-side with experts at the Samuel
Adams Boston Brewery.
Showing no signs of slowing down, the program saw a 25% increase
in coaching and event attendance in the last year alone. Through
years of successfully executing signature programs and working
hand-in-hand with entrepreneurs, Brewing the American has
maintained a keen pulse on the evolving needs of today's small
business owner. This experienced insight and demand has led to
recent program additions such as food styling and photography
coaching in 2022 and an inaugural Bootcamp intensive that launched
in May of this year.
"Samuel Adams has been a steadfast supporter of small food and
beverage businesses over the past 15 years," said Luz Urrutia, CEO of Accion Opportunity Fund.
"Working creatively alongside a variety of local non-profit
partners over that time, they have expanded access not only to
critical capital that these businesses need to grow, but also to
valuable learning, networking, and promotional opportunities to
support their success. We at Accion Opportunity Fund are grateful
for their partnership and look forward to continued
collaboration."
As the food & beverage community remains a powerful thread
in the country's DNA, Brewing the American Dream is committed to
being an ever-evolving resource for the dreamers that make it
stronger each day.
For more information on Brewing the American Dream, visit
www.brewingtheamericandream.com and follow
along @samadamsbtad.
About Brewing the American Dream
In 2008, Samuel Adams launched its core philanthropic
initiative, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream. In partnership
with Accion Opportunity Fund, one of the nation's largest
non-profit small business lenders, the program supports small
business owners in the food, beverage, and brewing industries
through access to business capital, coaching, and new market
opportunities. The goal is to help strengthen small businesses,
create local jobs, and build vibrant communities. Since the
inception of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program,
Brewing the American Dream has worked together with Accion
Opportunity Fund and other non-profits in loaning more than
$100 million to more than 4,200 small
business owners in the food and beverage industry. Samuel Adams
employees, together with local business partners and community
organizations, have provided coaching and mentoring to more than
14,000 business owners across the country, helping to create or
maintain more than 11,000 local jobs.
About Accion Opportunity Fund
Accion Opportunity Fund
works to create an inclusive, healthy financial system that
supports the nation's small business owners by connecting
entrepreneurs to affordable capital, educational resources,
coaching, and networks. Through innovative partnerships and
outreach strategies, we reach entrepreneurs of color, low-income
entrepreneurs, and women, who often lack access to the financial
services they need to build and grow their businesses. Loans made
by Accion Opportunity Fund Community Development. California
Finance Lenders license number 6050609.
About Boston Beer Company
The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE: SAM) began in 1984
brewing Samuel Adams beer and the Samuel Adams brand is currently
recognized as one of the largest and most respected craft beer
brands. Our portfolio of brands also includes Truly Hard Seltzer,
Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Dogfish Head Brewery and
Hard Mountain Dew as well as other craft beer brands such
as Angel City Brewery and Coney Island Brewing. For more
information, please visit our www.bostonbeer.com.
Media Contact:
5W Public Relations
btad@5wpr.com
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